Blackhawk following a familiar path, but hopes for better destination
Blackhawk has a new coach and a few new players this year as compared to 2023.
But this season has played out eerily similar to last, with a loss to North Catholic in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game followed by a run to the PIAA final at Giant Center.
Only this time, the Cougars (26-3) are looking for a different result on Saturday at noon when they face District 2 champion Scranton Prep (22-5).
“That’s going to be a challenge and every year is different,” Blackhawk coach Greg Huston said. “There are girls who graduated and it’s a different opponent, so it’s about us going out there with the right mindset and playing our game.”
This will mark the first time since the PIAA expanded to six classifications that the WPIAL will have only one representative in the girls finals. The last time it happened was in 2016, the year before the expansion.
But Blackhawk is less concerned about carrying the weight of the entire WPIAL and more focused on beating a Cavaliers squad that just racked up 83 points in its semifinal victory against District 12 champion Universal Audenried.
Scranton Prep is led by two dynamic guards, 5-foot-9 junior Jenna Hillebrand and 5-8 sophomore Bella Dennebaum who, like the rest of the team, like to launch everything from beyond the arc.
“They have five girls who will shoot it, five girls who will all attack the rim and there’s really not much of a post presence,” Huston said.
But Blackhawk also has a couple of players who can hit long- range shots from outside. Alena Fusetti, a 5foot-10 senior and Mercyhurst commit, averages 15.6 points and has 69 3-pointers. Aubree Hupp, a 5-10 sophomore, averages 13.8 points.
“They kind of remind me of Harbor Creek that we played in the first round of the state playoffs in that they also used a five-guard scheme with a lot of cutting,” Huston said. “Harbor Creek gave us a few issues and this one could as well, so we just have to communicate and play good D.”